20 Small Business Quotes That Will Inspire You

Being a small business owner is rewarding, but it can also be a challenge. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed and over-stressed, take a moment to ponder these inspiring small business quotes that highlight what it means to be a successful small business owner.

Quotes on What It Means to Be an Entrepreneur

“I grew up in a family business... that really has provided the core of my belief in American small business, and in America's ability to grow and operate important businesses that can compete and be successful.” - Karen Mills

“For maximum attention, nothing beats a good mistake.” - Unknown

“In America, small business is a big deal.” - Bob Beauprez

“There is no greater country on Earth for entrepreneurship than America. In every category, from the high-tech world of Silicon Valley, where I live, to University R&D labs, to countless Main Street small business owners, Americans are taking risks, embracing new ideas and - most importantly - creating jobs.” - Eric Ries

“If you're going to run a small business, you need to know what everyone is doing, be the first one in and the last one out, and work weekends.” - Glen Mazzara

“The government's Small Business Administration reports that small businesses represent 99% of all employers in the U.S. and are responsible for generating well over half of the new jobs created.” - Ellen Tauscher

“You are not your resume, you are your work. - Seth Godin

“The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer” - Nolan Bushnell

Quotes on Finding and Recognizing Success

“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” - Vince Lombardi

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure”. - Bill Cosby

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” - Albert Einstein

“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.” - Dr. Seuss

Quotes on Good Leadership and the Goals of Management

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. - Dwight Eisenhower

“Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them.” - Paul Hawken

“Leadership is working with goals and vision; management is working with objectives.” - Russel Honore

“This is the key to time management - to see the value of every moment.” - Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Quotes on Embracing Your Creativity

“Ideas in secret die. They need light and air or they starve to death.” - Seth Godin

“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” - Edward de Bono

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things.” - Steve Jobs

Now that you’re feeling more inspired, you can get back to work with a refreshed outlook. Refer back to these motivating quotes as you build a bigger, stronger, more successful small business.